Fighting fire

Before a fire can burn, a specific combination of three different factors must prevail. These three factors are:

flammable material (e.g. wood)

oxygen

ignition temperature (e.g. caused by a smouldering cigarette or a magnifying glass)

All fire fighting methods are based on eliminating one or more of these factors from the fire. This can be done by smothering (e.g. using a fire blanket or foam-based extinguisher), cooling (water) or creating a fire-break (for forest fires).